Utility
Engineering (UE) is a full service engineering corporation wholly owned
by Xcel Energy, the holding company for utilities SPS, PSCO, NSP and NRG.
“I believe UE is unique in the power industry being a non-regulated
part of Xcel Energy, an investor owned utility and having four wholly
owned subsidiaries,” Ray Rugg, President and CEO of UE told World-Generation
from his headquarters office in Denver during the Class of 2004 interview.

“UE has provided
engineering services for over 30,000 mws of diverse generation since we
were formed in the late 1940’s as the design group of Southwestern
Public Service Co. (SPS). In 1985, UE became a wholly owned, non-regulated
subsidiary of SPS, which allowed us to provide power plant design services
to customers serving the entire power industry in the US and abroad. UE
has completed coal, gas and betterment projects for utilities, industrial
facilities, cogeneration facilities, developers and others,” Rugg
added.

SUBSIDIARIES

Quixx Corporation based in
Amarillo, TX specializes in the development, ownership and operations
of domestic independent power production and cogeneration facilities.
The portfolio includes a wind power plant for lower Colorado River Authority,
a cogen plant for General Motors and supplies steam to Phillip’s
Petroleum and Dupont. UE was awarded the Leon Creek project consisting
of four, LM 6000 peaking units for San Antonio Public Service scheduled
for June, 2004 and for the 250 mw Walnut Energy Center green field site
in Turlock, CA for completion by mid 2005. “These are only two of
the seven new contracts we were awarded last year,” Rugg said.

Proto-Power Corporation based
in Groton, CT was acquired in 2000 and provides the nuclear power industry
with a broad range of engineering, design, software development, project
management services, license renewal or decommissioning technical support.
Proto-Power provides expertise in the development of nuclear containment
inservice inspection and aging requirements developed from nearly twenty
years of experience in performing containment evaluations, condition appraisals,
aging reviews, and preventive maintenance assessments.

Proto-Power has assisted
utilities in performing specific system analysis and providing a cost
effective alternative to identifying, scoping, and implementing the plant
modifications to achieve higher powerlevels . Proto-Power offers various
capabilities for both PWR and BWR plant types. “Our focus has been
in supporting regulatory issues and programs; performing engineering analysis
to support design basis and licensing basis reconstitution; assessment
of thermal/hydraulic margins and margin recovery options; and the preparation
and implementation of plant design changes,” Rugg said.

“Our Nuclear
Quality Assurance Program complies with the requirements of the Code of
Federal Regulations (10 CFR 50 Appendix B) and American National Standards
Institute. And, our proprietary software products are also developed,
validated and controlled under this program.”

Today, over 80 percent of the
103 operating nuclear power plants in the United States use one or more
of Proto-Power’s system modeling software products . Proto - Power’s
array of proprietary software products are specifically designed to support
the design, performance assessment, and trouble-shooting of piping systems
and associated equipment in fossil or nuclear power plants, petrochemical
and other complex process facilities.

Precision Resource
Company is a personnel services company providing employment for temporary
and full-time professionals staffing power and energy projects . Offices
are located in Amarillo, TX, Denver, CO, and Minneapolis, MN.

SOFTWARE PRODUCTS

PROTO-FLO™ calculates
steady-state incompressible flows, pressures and temperatures in piping
systems and models pumps, valves, heat exchangers, and other components.
A transient analysis module is also available to evaluate system transients
within an existing PROTO-FLO™ database.

PROTO-HX™ calculates
temperatures and heat transfer rates in heat exchangers, chillers and
air coolers and predicts system performance .

PROTO-HVAC™
calculates flows, pressures and temperatures through control dampers,
fans and duct systems for system balance and performance.

PROTO-SPRINKLER™
models and evaluates fire sprinkler systems of any complexity following
the standard methodology and approach for calculations as specified in
NFPA13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, and NFPA 15,
Standard for Water Spray Fixed Systems for Fire Protection.

“Our products
may be engineering services, but the mainstay of UE’s business is
our people. We take pride in our successes, “can-do” attitude
and dedication to our clients,” Rugg said in closing.

Prior to this appointment,
Mr. Rugg was Senior Vice President, Business Ventures, and Sales &
Planning and also Director, Business Development of Proto-Power Corporation,
UE’s nuclear engineering services subsidiary. Mr. Rugg earned a
Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree from Providence College.
He completed the Executive Management Program at Northeastern University
and attended the CED Program in Mechanical Engineering at the University
of Rhode Island.